Cornell (Iowa) shuts out Simpson

INDIANOLA -- The 17th-ranked Rams picked up wins in all 10 weight classes en route to a 43-0 victory over Simpson Tuesday night at Hopper Gymnasium.

Cornell (6-2) cruised to its 10th straight series win over the Storm (1-3) and put up the most points in a dual meet since beating Buena Vista, 44-3, in 2011. It was the team's fifth shutout in head coach Mike Duroe's nine seasons at the helm, and first since the 2010-11 season.

The Rams recorded victories in a variety of ways, including pins by sophomores Samuel Chalkley (2:19 at 141 pounds), Trevor Engle (6:45 at 149) and senior Alex Coolidge (4:08 at 197). Cornell won three matches by two-point margins.

"Our guys wrestled pretty well. We wrestled with a purpose and for the most part were aggressive," Duroe said. "We scored points at important times, which gave us some momentum in individual matches."

Senior Ben Rosen received a forfeit in the opening bout at 125. Freshman Phillip Opelt (8-5) followed with a 14-4 major decision over Sam Reichenbacker. The Rams quickly built the lead to 22-0 behind back-to-back falls by Chalkley (over Devin Syler) and Engle (over Ryan Joint). Engle improved his season record to 12-4.

Sophomore 157-pounder Danny Klema made it 25-0 at the halfway point with a 10-4 decision over Jacob Mize. The Rams then reeled off three consecutive tight wins to push the advantage to 34-0.

Freshman Michael Maksimovic (13-6) won his 165-pound match - 5-3 over Shane Swank - on a last-second takedown in the third period. Brent Hamm (10-5) prevailed, 7-3, over Brett Roberts at 174. Sophomore Aburough Abegesah scored the winning takedown in extra time for a 6-4 sudden victory over Taylor Witzel at 184.

Coolidge (11-2) ended his match at 197 with a second-period pin over Jared Bevins. Senior heavyweight Carl Gaul (11-5) got past Colby Vlieger, 2-0, in the final match of the night.

"We're on a little bit of an uptick now," Duroe said. "I like our team. But we still have a lot of work to do and need to keep paying attention to individual development."

National polls - Cornell climbed eight spots to No. 17 in Tuesday's NWCA Division III Coaches' Poll. The Rams have a pair of nationally-ranked individuals in Coolidge (No. 4 at 197) and Engle (No. 8 at 149). Both wrestlers move up one spot from the previous rankings release.

Coming up: The Rams will take some time off from the competition mat before returning to action at the Citrus Invitational Dec. 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.